A Shoulder to Cry On
by Kristen3
Summary: Niles arrives at his brother's apartment to find Daphne alone and heartbroken. Can he comfort her by telling her what he's longed to say since they met?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**Usual disclaimer, I own nothing here, blah, blah. Thanks to Leigh Ann (pen name leighann415) for giving me ideas/feedback as I wrote this. And double thanks to Andrea (pen name iloveromance), whose story "The I Love You Syndrome" gave me the idea for this! :) I'm not really sure when this should take place, but it's definitely pre-Donny. Enjoy, and please R&R! I love getting reviews!

Niles rang his brother's doorbell, anxious to tell him about the opera he had just seen. It was truly one of the best productions he'd seen in a while. And of course, who better to share every detail with, than his older brother and fellow opera lover? He could not help smiling when Daphne opened the door. Seeing her was the only thing that could make him happier than any opera ever could.

"Hello, Dr. Crane," Daphne said. She only made eye contact for a second, then looked down at the floor. She hoped he wouldn't comment on the way she looked. After spending the last half-hour crying on the sofa, she knew she must look horrible.

"Is something wrong?" Niles asked, immediately alarmed by the look on her face. Even more distressing was the fact that her eyes and nose were both red. A sure sign that she had just been crying. He immediately felt the urge to hold Daphne for as long as it took to comfort her.

"I-it's nothing," Daphne lied. "I just..." she trailed off, unable to come up with a convincing explanation. "Well, in any case, your father and your brother are both out for the evening. I'll be sure and let them know you stopped by." Daphne put her hand on the doorknob, anxious to be left alone once again.

Niles looked at her. It was obvious that whatever had happened was serious. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about whatever is bothering you?" he asked, hoping she would see how much he cared about her.

"No, I'll be fine. I don't want to trouble you with me problems. I'm sure you get plenty of that from your patients," Daphne replied.

Niles' heart broke the more he looked at her. "I don't mind it, really," Niles said. "Can I come in, at least?"

"I suppose so," Daphne replied, stepping back. She really didn't feel like talking right now, but she couldn't very well tell him to leave.

"Thank you," Niles replied as she shut the door behind him. "Have you been...crying?"

Daphne nodded. There was no point in hiding it. "It has nothing to do with you or your brother. It's just me love life. But I'm sure you've got something better to do than listen to me go on and on about it."

Niles was stunned. How could Daphne think he could have something more important to do than comforting the woman he loved? "If you want to talk about it, I'm listening." Niles couldn't resist stealing his brother's favorite phrase. The small smile Daphne gave at hearing the words made Niles feel dizzy.

"Well, if you're sure you don't mind..." Daphne said as she walked over to the couch. "Me boyfriend was just here."

"You mean Peter?" Niles asked. The few times he'd seen Daphne with her boyfriend had been almost more than he could stand. He knew it was his own fault for not speaking up and letting Daphne know how he felt, but it still hurt.

Daphne nodded. "Yes. Only I guess I should say 'me ex-boyfriend.' He just told me tonight that he's decided to go back to his old girlfriend."

Niles sat down next to her on the couch. Without even thinking about it, he reached over and placed his hand on her back. The urge to hold her was almost unbearable. What could Peter be thinking, giving up a goddess such as Daphne for someone else?

"I'm sure it's me own fault," Daphne said with a sigh. "He must have decided he likes her better. She's probably prettier, or smarter, or something."

"If he thought that, he must be out of his mind." Niles said the words before he even had time to think about what he was saying.

Daphne smiled. "Well, thank you for saying that. But it seems like I can't win. Every time I start to think I have a future with somebody, it ends up falling apart, and I'm left alone. Maybe I should just get used to it. It seems like I'm just going to end up spending the rest of me life all alone."

"You don't know that for sure," Niles said. How could Daphne possibly think she didn't deserve to have a husband and a family? If anyone was destined to live a life of loneliness, it was Niles himself. Between his bitter divorce from Maris, and his complete inability to let Daphne know he worshiped her, his future was looking rather bleak.

Daphne scoffed. "Look at me. I'm sitting here crying me eyes out. I must look a fright. And when I get upset, I tend to stuff meself with junk food. Like that's going to make a man want me!"

"Well...I would," Niles said hesitantly. How could Daphne think she would ever be unattractive? Even now, looking at her made it difficult for him to concentrate.

Daphne smiled sadly. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. You're very kind." She couldn't help but be amazed by how caring Dr. Crane was. How did he always seem to know just what to say to make her feel better?

For a moment, they were both quiet. Niles tried to decide whether or not to let Daphne know that his comment was completely true. He did want her, more than she could possibly know. Niles wanted to speak, to let Daphne know what was in his heart. But no words came to him. Instead, he very cautiously reached his hand out and slipped it into hers. The small squeeze she gave him in return made Niles' heart begin to race uncontrollably.

Without letting go of his hand, Daphne turned and faced him. "Thank you, Dr. Crane."

"F-for what?" Niles stammered, barely able to think straight.

"For sitting here and keeping me company like this. I'm already starting to feel a little better, just knowing I'm not alone. But I know this can't be what you were expecting when you came here tonight," Daphne replied.

_No_, Niles thought to himself. _It's much _better_ than I expected. _To his surprise, Daphne put her arms around him and hugged him very tightly. Niles breathed in deeply, intoxicated by the scent of her shampoo. "I'm in love with you." The words came out a whisper, before Niles was even aware he had spoken.


	2. Chapter 2

Daphne pulled out of the embrace. "What did you just say, Dr. Crane?"

Niles saw the surprise on her face. "N-nothing," he stammered. He immediately felt a nosebleed coming on.

"Are you all right?" Daphne asked, alarmed at how pale Dr. Crane had suddenly become.

Niles couldn't speak. He either had to admit to Daphne what he'd said, or pass out from loss of blood. Neither option appealed to him at the moment. He sighed, finally unable to stand it. "I said I'm in love with you." Just like that, the bleeding stopped.

"That's what I thought you said," Daphne replied. "But I wasn't sure."

Niles saw that she was still in shock. "I'm sorry if I upset you." He began to get up.

"Don't go," Daphne said, touching his arm.

Niles was stunned. He froze, unable to believe what he was hearing. The feeling of her hand on his arm sent his senses reeling. Breathing suddenly became difficult. "You-you want me to stay?" he asked.

Daphne nodded. "I think you're very sweet."

Niles grinned, thrilled by her simple compliment. He sat back down on the couch. He looked at Daphne and saw that she was wiping a tear from her eye. "No, Daphne, please don't cry." He immediately put his arm around her, wishing he could take back what he'd said. He'd obviously forgotten that Daphne had just had her heart broken. A person needed time to grieve for something like that. Niles remembered the first time Maris ran out on him. The pain he'd felt had been awful. If Daphne was feeling anything close to that, he would never forgive himself for making it even worse.

Daphne sniffled a few more times, then seemed to have regained her composure. "I can't thank you enough for putting up with me ridiculous tears."

"There's nothing wrong with expressing emotions. After what you've been through, you have every right to cry," Niles replied as he gently wiped a tear from her cheek.

Daphne looked at him and smiled. "Thank you for being so understanding. I have a feeling not even your brother would be so patient with me. And your father _certainly_ wouldn't be." She chuckled, imagining how Mr. Crane would likely make a quick exit at the first sign of open emotion.

"No, Dad was never good at this sort of thing," Niles agreed. "And as for Frasier, he's used to dealing with other people's problems in a two-minute phone call." When Daphne didn't smile at his joke, he knew she was still feeling emotional. "Let me get you some tea."

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. I don't know why I'm letting this get to me."

"You just need to give yourself some time," Niles replied as he stood to go into the kitchen.

As soon as Dr. Crane was gone, Daphne heard a key in the door. It was the other Dr. Crane, along with Mr. Crane, returning from the movies.

"Daphne, are you all right?" Frasier asked when he saw the mound of tissues on the coffee table and Daphne's tear-stained face.

"I'm fine, Dr. Crane," Daphne replied, not wanting to worry him.

"Are you sure?" Frasier asked. "You don't look fine."

At that moment, Niles returned with the tea. "Oh, Dad, Frasier, you're back!"

"Yes. But it seems we're not needed here," Frasier replied, his eyes going back and forth from Niles to Daphne. "Hey, Dad, how about I buy you a cup of coffee at Nervosa?"

"But what about Daphne?" Martin asked. He then looked from one son to the other. He finally understood what Frasier was trying to say. "Oh, yeah, that's a good idea, Frase."

The other two Cranes left quickly. Niles walked over and set the tea down in front of Daphne. He sat down next to her on the couch.

Daphne smiled at him. "You're so sweet, taking care of me like this. Feels a bit strange to be waited on." She laughed.

"You deserve it," Niles replied, placing his hand on hers. He got a chill from the feeling of touching her soft skin.

Suddenly, Daphne leaned over and kissed Niles on the cheek. The surprising gesture made his head spin. Before he knew what he was doing, Niles kissed her back. Only this time, it wasn't on the cheek.

"Oh, God, Daphne. I don't know what came over me. I just-" Niles said, once he realized what he'd done.

"I'm not complaining," Daphne replied. "You really do love me." She said it almost as if she couldn't believe it was true.

"I do. So much." He waited, hoping she would say she felt the same. He was more nervous than he could ever remember being.

"I love you, too...Niles." This time she leaned over and kissed him. _If this is a dream,_ Niles thought, _I hope I never wake up._

**The End**


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